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Category: Tarot

How do you interpret The Strength Card of the Tarot, or the Lust Card of the Thoth Tarot?

Following are my thoughts on this card. I’ve also included different ways that it might be interpreted in a reading, to help you understand it when it comes up in your own readings.

The human and the lion – make friends with your enemy or that which opposes, overpowers, threatens or preys upon you. Befriend your fears.

Are things really what they seem to be? Do you follow what has been taught to you in the past, or do you live by experience?

Is this card advising the querent to put mind over matter. Determination will pay off?

Is it truly a lion being tamed? Or is it the beast within? The card can refer equally to the inner struggle as it can to the struggles that the outside world throws at us.

Does this card tell us that change is coming? That yes we can stave it off, but only whilst we are applying sheer force. What will happen when force is removed? Will circumstances have changed? Will the lion be tamed?

Aleister Crowley renamed this card “Lust” in the Thoth Tarot. The reasoning behind it makes perfect sense… think of the imagery on the card, a woman taming a beast – or the masculine. Crowley reminds us that in the eyes of some, a woman’s greatest power over a man, is her sexual power – the stirring of desire in another.

When interpreting this card who do you, or your querent identify with? the beast or the woman? Within a relationship reading this gives powerful insight into the power balances existing between the couple in question.

Is this card urging you to have the heart of a lion, to be brave and lion-hearted?

Are decisions being delayed? Are you being urged to stop delaying and choose from the heart? Go with your instinct as would the beast? In which case this is an instance where ignoring convention and follow your instinct may be necessary – but what is stopping you needs to be considered also. This could be social values, the feelings of others, and so forth. The Beast would not take into account any of these values, choice is quick and instinctive within the animal kingdom.

Strength – control versus impulse.

When I see this card I also wonder whether someone is trying to put words in another’s mouth. Is someone trying to word you up….? or manipulate you? Why would you allow that to happen? You are more than strong enough to turn away, so what hold does this person have upon you?

Are you foolhardy? Are you trying to prove something to others. Taking an unnecessary risk to impress… for in truth no one will ultimately conquer the beast – it is its own master. If the beast was to be seen as controllable, the card would depict a dog, or a horse or another animal that it is possible to domesticate.

If this card is your Outcome card – then things are at a stalemate right now. The person that you are waiting on is holding out… regardless of which path they are going to take, right now they are refusing to budge. It is not easy for them though – every ounce of their will power is required to be still and stand their ground.

Turning away from what is offered – rejection of that which you are a part of. For example, stability, opportunity. It is a turning away from something that is benign, something that does not imply an immediate threat. The figure in the 8 of cups is not running away, nor are they hiding. They are slipping away as they chose to, not in flight from imminent threat.

Relinquishing or refusing to take on responsibility or refusal to be accountable.

Hiding your true self, masking who you are, and revealing it only to the select few. A second or secret life. An inner life.

Personal insecurities, lack of self-esteem – do not be ashamed to let others see you for who you really are.

The party, or event that’s a flop …. ouch, if you get this card turning up around an event you’ve got planned – you’re in trouble, drastic changes are needed

Rx:

Wealth material pleasures – security, money etc.

Depression – do not dwell in the gloom of the past when possibilities surround you… open your eyes, do not live internally.

Transcendence

The eight of cups shows a figure heading away to begin again elsewhere. This card is about a new beginning and a desire or need for change. It implies the necessity of giving something up, this something may be material – the house or life the figure is leaving behind, or it could be emotional – a fear, phobia, or situation that must no longer be hidden from…. a truth must be faced.

Often when this card comes up the querent or the person this card is relating to may be experiencing depression, or finding the circumstance the card talks about as very difficult and sad. In the Mythic Deck this card refers to Psyche’s visit to the underworld. The underworld is a place of mourning and therefore the theme of depression associated with the card is amplified.

We must also remember that in choosing to visit the underworld we are voluntarily giving up all hope of all hope for the future… which I see as in visiting the underworld we give up our autonomy and we have no choice but to accept what is presented to us, or ”the rules”. Our future, whilst we are in this realm is no longer one we can manipulate or make choices about.

Therefore, visiting the underworld, or having the 8 of cups present, can also be seen as voluntarily giving up hope for the future – or giving up the future as had thought it would be… this speaks to me especially in terms of one who is heartbroken has lost their ‘great love’ or is bankrupted and now the future looks nothing like they had pictured it.

On a lighter note; I also see in this card – the holiday that isn’t a holiday… Other’s might be thinking you’re going on vacation but to you – its ‘work’… and whilst you’re putting on a brave face about it all, you’d much rather be sticking with your normal routine than going on this ‘vacation’. Think Disney Land with the kids when you’d rather be on the beach in Tahiti!! Going camping instead of staying at a nice bed and breakfast…. Saturn in Pisces – weak Pisces being overpowered by Saturn’s rigidity and heaviness. Decan: 0 to 10º Pisces

Like this:

‘Is it over?’ is one of the hardest questions you’ll ever have to ask, when it comes to your relationship. But living in limbo, fearing the end is coming.

So, you’ve done all the right things and asked all the right questions… and gotten nowhere. You’ve tried to figure out what they’re thinking, you’ve been sensitive, you’ve been super caring, you’ve given them space, you’ve made more effort, and then less effort, just to see if it helped. Your worries are growing stronger and all you want is an answer, ‘Are we breaking up?’

If you haven’t already pulled out your Tarot cards and asked this question 20 times over, I’m surprised!! However, when we’re emotional it can be hard to make sense of what the cards are telling us. So here is a list of the ‘break up’ cards.

These are different from the ones we looked at a couple of days ago. These cards are not forecasting trouble, or uncertainty… they are forecasting endings.

If any of the cards in the list below come up when you’re asking about the future of your relationship, you can unfortunately assume that it’s over. These cards are telling you that the relationship’s going to end – it’s a question of ”when”, not ”if”. And as sad as that is, being unhappy with the information you receive ‘now’, does at least let you start healing and moving forward. Which is a lot better than another few months spent in anxious worry.

“It’s Over” – these cards are unequivocal:

3 Cups **rx – Hearts are broken, relationships are disconnected and new boundaries are drawn. Happiness has fled. The wedding is not going ahead. The engagement is over. One party, does not wish to be with the other.

3 Swords – A heart is pierced… and is bleeding alone. There is no sign of comfort anywhere. It is time to really acknowledge your wounds and your pain and to focus on healing what is broken – you… This really is one of the most disquieting and anguished cards in the tarot, and one should never overlook the seriousness of its message. Yes it is the swords suit – air and thought – but with the 3 swords, you can’t change your thinking, you can’t stop the hurt, you’ve already been wounded. There is no avoiding this pain.

5 Cups – Betrayal, endings, bitterness and pain. I always see a deception in this card… it is not a simple case of falling out of love, there is more to it. Someone has intentionally or unintentionally strayed from the promises they made to their partner… The one that is being left will have to deal not just with a break up, but with a partner who has let them down. Even if this is simply because that partner did not speak up when they should have, and dragged out a long-suffering situation.

The Moon – nothing is as you thought it was. Card strongly implies deception. Sexual transgression and unfaithfulness. Be especially aware of online lovers, affairs, and cheating that is facilitated via online forums or sites.

10 Swords – Can any card more clearly spell an ending than the 10 of Swords…. Nothing is going to survive from this situation. Hearts are broken, lives are broken and changed. The parties involved are going to have to start over, and it will not be easy for them. If this is your breakup card – you have lost more than the one you love, or your relationship – you’ve also lost your sense of who you are and what your future is. Your life’s meaning will need to be re-articulated. This card shows you that everything is different now. Everything will need to be rebuilt. It is a card of devastation and anyone who gets it will require great strength to combat what lies ahead.

10 Cups **rx – You were warned, people told you it seemed to good to be true, and the 10 Cups reversed confirms those suspicions. This card also suggests that you were somewhat naïve or foolish to not have foreseen this outcome in the beginning. Yes your heart is broken and this is a terrible thing, but with the 10 Cups as your ‘answer’ there seems to me to be a bit of a rebuke here – you should have been smarter about this.

The Devil – It’s over and there are serious problems to be looked at. This card tells us that the relationship is abusive or unhealthy and your partner has emotional difficulties that are serious. I take this card very seriously as a warning about confronting the other person… a caution to guard your safety, and a red flag that this situation has the potential to get ugly. This is one instance where you really must be your most careful and measured self.

There are definitely more cards that I see very clearly as ‘breakup cards’, but they tend to rely on what flanks them to confirm this. The cards listed above however, are unequivocal, it’s over. They’re not right for you, and it’s time for you to find the person that can love you the way you deserve to be loved.

Like this:

What cards tell you that the other person in a relationship is “wanting to break up?”

Here’s my list of the top cards to watch out for when scouting for signs of trouble or dissatisfaction in a partner:

8 Cups: They are wanting or desiring a change… thinking of new beginnings, and what starting over would be like. It is almost as if they are visualizing what new future, on their own would look and feel like.

5 Pentacles: Resentment and fear are (for me) bound up in this card. Your partner is, or feels stuck to you due to financial dependence. They also may be emotionally co-dependent, and fear being on their own. They are miserable within the relationship, yet fearful they will not cope without the other person. They are also deeply afraid of loneliness and being an outcast in society.

The Devil: The other person feels trapped by what they thought they wanted. They feel like they have lost their freedom and ability to be autonomous. They are not just unhappy – they are also angry.

8 of swords: This person is trying their best to remain in denial… they are boxed in by their fear of being alone. Scared they will be unable to cope by themselves, and trying their best to ignore how unhappy they are.

4 Cups: Boredom, depression, going through the motions, desiring escape and excitement. Nothing seems special anymore, and good times seem lacking in the cold hard light of day. This card shows a lack of gratitude, and little to zero appreciation for the qualities of one’s partner.

9 Pentacles: It’s all too safe and stale, and life does not seem to bring joy anymore… everything has become routine. Something is missing, there is a sense of being suffocated, lacking in independence, freedom, and once again excitement. Life almost feels like its lost its challenge and all one is doing is going through the motions on a daily basis…. there is no meaning left…

Lovers – Needs to make a decision yet keeps procrastinating, feels a sense of needing another person to make up for what the current lover does not give.

Like this:

In the recesses of my mind
the shadowed corners of my heart
I knew you always.
Your breath between my words
My mind between your hands.
There can be no other way.

Pray the dance will linger,
Indulge the illusion of a choice,
The gritty eyes,
Full of golden dust … your gift
To have longer before the end
Is every lovers’ wish
The magician is a wolf.If you want to get to know the Magician better, ask yourself these questions:

Have you met The Magician before …?
(you have, so many times!! he may be your next door neighbour, the car salesman, the woman who desperately want to get to know)

How did he/she initially greet you? and what were your first impressions?

What does he/she do for work, or study?

How did he/she affect or influence you? (or try to)

What do other people think of him/her?

What was your emotional response to him/her?

Is there a general consensus of opinion about this person? If so, what do the majority of people think about them?

Like this:

With the Two Wands the world is your oyster, you have so much going on, and so many ideas. You are capable of anything you set your mind and heart to. Be strong, be determined go after what you want, and be true to yourself. Your inspiration is Mars the Warrior…

Two Wands

As with all the cards in the Tarot, the Two of Wands, conjures many different meanings, feelings, visions and interpretations. This card is typically or traditionally seen as representing the contemplation of the future, or that which is unseen (beyond the horizon), the recognition of one’s need to make choices and evaluate opportunities, as well as to take ownership of the power that lies in your hands. Personal Empowerment. The choices you make will become the reality you live, the Two of Wands reminds you, that you are the master of your destiny. This card is about you– and what is being presented to you, and what in turn is required of you.

Mars is the planetary significator of this card. He brings to it all his fiery, confident, wandsy male energy. Mars is a warrior and his sign of rulership powers the 2 wands, and those who follow him, with vibrant enthusiasm. Self-doubt does not exist for Mars; he charges forward fearlessly, he will not be bound by worry. His decisions are made quickly and with full of confidence and self belief.

The appearance of this card may indicate that one needs to stop over thinking things… stop the constant analysis, and respond from the heart. Stop putting the needs of others above your own… At this moment, at least, over analysis is to your detriment, you are encouraged to consider your needs and your desires and believe in your judgement. The Two of Wands is telling you, that you will fulfil objectives, if you act fearlessly; just as Mars would.

The Two Wands calls forth your primary responses; your likes, dislikes, wants and needs. It is encouraging you to reconnect with your true self and to be motivated by your honest, genuine, heart felt emotions. Don’t compromise who you are – ‘your integrity’, this is a key part of its message.

The honest but primitive side of Mars is often squashed with culture and etiquette. Sophistication helps people get along in the world, but it can also result in undeveloped personalities, an inability to make dynamic choices and a lack of self understanding. This card reminds us that knowing one’s self and pleasing one’s self, is, from a Mar’s standpoint, not selfish, but self-fulfilling.

Like this:

Recently the 4 of Cups has been jumping out at me with the meaning or message “the morning after”. In it I see and feel the disillusionment and discomfort the querent or his/her friends are experiencing the day after their big night out.

When I see the card this way, I feel that the querent has awoken had that “WTF did I do to myself last night?” moment…

They have already woken up with a throbbing headache, perhaps a dubious stranger in their bed, and the evidence of a night’s debauchery around them. They are experiencing the regret of excess – not just because of how hard they partied and the toll taken on their body. But also, because they have carelessly gone through all their party supplies. They are officially ‘out of supply’ and unable to top up in the foreseeable future. Therefore their pain of today is unavoidable. In this light what happened last night whilst fun doesn’t quite seem worth it anymore.

If The Devil or The Star turn up next to the 4 of cups, when being read this way, multiply the level of debauchery significantly and look carefully for indications of legal repercussions ensuing as a result of the festivities enjoyed.

So out come the cards… But, reading for yourself is fraught with danger. So be careful!!

The more emotionally invested you are in something, the more difficult it will be for you to receive and interpret information accurately.

I know its not fair, but our fears and hopes get in the way and cloud the information we ‘get’, making us lose objectivity. To minimise this issue, you need to ask practical questions, not emotional or subjective ones.

Practical questions will still give you great insight into the relationship opportunity being presented, and what the other persons intentions and desires are … but they don’t get so easily misinterpreted as everyone’s favourites, like; ‘’how does he/she feel about me?’’ or “what are his/her intentions towards me?”…. These are terrible question to be asking!!! (if you want to know why ‘Ask Me’ on the website, its a whole post on its own!!)

So, here are some of the best questions you can ask the Tarot about your new relationship in order to understand what the future holds:

What is going on in this person’s own life now?

I always ask this question about someone coming into my clients life – I think its so important. What I see around the person straight away informs me of their nature, character, other romantic interests, financial situation and priorities. It shows you so much, that at times you don’t need to go any further. For example, if you ask this question, and the cards that jump out around the person, are the 7 of swords (deceit and sneakiness) multiple members of the opposite sex with the ‘lovers’, or 5 cups, you know this person is trouble …. We need to understand a person in terms of who they are and their values and desires, not just in terms of what they feel at any given moment.

What role is this person going to play in my life?

Look for signs of stability, and instability. Look for landmarks, and milestones. If there’s a lack of events showing up, this person is not going to be around long, if there absences, and erratic patterns, they are likely to bring heart ache.

What role will I play in this person’s life?

Are you one of many? Are you important, are you absent? Look to see how you will be impacting this person’s life. If you’re not ‘there’ then this relationship probably isn’t going to happen.

What will this connection bring into my life?

Look not just for emotions – look for events, actions, things that are achieved together, plans for holidays… Seeing these type of activities tells you that there is a future path here.

Like this:

Two of Wands (Mars/Aries – ruler)

I love this slant on the Two of Wands, it gives great insights into less used interpretations of the card. I personally love the idea of the ‘childlike’ energy that the card has due to Mars – and the impulsive energy he endows the Two Wands with. What do you think?

Traditional divinatory meanings for this card waver between contemplation of the future to embracing new opportunities. The attribution of Mars, with all his fiery warrior energy, enthusiasm and bravery, charge this card, and those born to the sign of Aries, with his fiery impulsive disposition and vibrant energy. Mars is not just a warrior, he is a conqueror. I see him as a restless conqueror though, and somewhat of an “ideas” man. He loves the idea and the challenge – but the follow through and discipline, they can be delegated elsewhere. I also feel that Mar’s is restless and bores easily… that which he conquers, masters or seduces, only amuses him whilst its fresh and intense. Once bored he is off on his next adventure.

If you are acting on the energy of the Two Wands you are full of spontaneous vibrant energy. Your blood is pumping and you are ‘on Fire’ … it is truly great to be Mars! do not confuse him with facts, he will anger quickly. This fiery temper of his is another of the attributes that charge the Two Wands.

Mars has the vibrant enthusiasm of an infant and wants you to experience this wonderful intoxication with life too. When you feel this way, no thought is necessary; the light is green, and it‘s time to go. Infants operate with self-absorbed instincts. They reach for whatever looks interesting, and usually stick it in their mouths. Adults often lose the capacity for child-like wonder, curiosity, and experimentation; in this respect, the appearance of this card may indicate that the client needs to absorb the world around them in an untrammelled, child-like manner.

Like this:

The 10 of sword, the final number card of the sword suit, indicating your completed journey through this particular world of the tarot. This card shows us clearly an end from which there is no returning; the worst has happened, nothing can be changed or saved, nothing can be ‘fixed’. The idea, the thought, the dream, it’s over. A new beginning must be your focus, you cannot hold onto the old ways any longer.

I often make the point that in the swords suit, which correlates to air and thought, that in the majority of this suit you really are able to take control of your thoughts and perception and prevent yourself from suffering the points of the swords. What I mean is that in the swords its your thoughts that are hurting you, change your thoughts and you change the suffering. However, With the 10 of swords, it is too late. You have been pierced already and you are suffering. You will not find a way to avoid this. All you can do is prepare; think ahead and plan how to cope with the mental distress you will be facing.

I truly believe that the most important thing that I can share about this card is its gravity. You have to take it seriously. If this card appears in a reading, serious stuff is happening. You can’t gloss over it, you can’t play it down. You cannot think oh well, the 10 of swords is showing, but it won’t be too bad because there is a 9 cups, Ace pentacles near it. The 10 of swords will always always hurt. Trying to ‘fix’ or prevent this card, is an impossibility, and only sees more of your own energy poured into the cause of your suffering. Heed the message of the 10 of Swords well, and give this card the respect it deserves.

The 10 of swords is about endings, from which there will be no return. And perhaps the only relief you could equate with it is that it denotes the bottoming out. This is as bad as it is going to get… and you do seem to have survived. Therefore, from here on out it can only get better. If you must try to derive a bright side from this card, the only one seems to be that on the flip side of an ending is a new beginning, and that must be your focus. So your most positive or pro-active interpretation of the 10 of swords would be to start manifesting the ‘new beginning’, seeing it, believing in it and investing your energy and positivity in it.

The 10 of swords can refer to many different situations or events, but the circumstances are always serious. You are hurt, depressed, experiencing pain, everything is over… life as you know it, or have believed it will be, is no longer a possibility. Think along the lines of an end to a marriage, a life threatening illness, the death of a tangible dream (such as a marathon-runner injuring themselves and not ever being able to run distance again; something is over, ended, taken from you, and it was not your choice). A friendship may have been irrevocably betrayed, a promising career path blighted. It is always highly upsetting and disturbing and transformational; once again – life cannot be same again. No one is fine when they are hit by the 10 of swords.

This card can also indicate severe physical pain – particularly pointing to problems of the back and skeleton. A defeat of your opponents – if they are represented by the 10 of swords, then it’s all over for them, victory is lost and they have nothing left to bring to the table.